Khazen

by naharnet — The Cabinet formation process has witnessed no positive developments and the current complications are threatening to delay the creation of the new government until early 2019, media reports said. “New hurdles are surfacing everyday and the parties concerned are not announcing their true stances,” al-Joumhouria newspaper reported Wednesday. “Any of the parties has not shown willingness to offer concessions regarding its demands, which more and more confirms that largely domestic reasons are behind the delay,” the daily added. On Tuesday, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri had warned that he would “name the obstructors” if the government was not formed soon. All parties are still clinging to their demands, with the Progressive Socialist Party insisting on three Druze seats and the Lebanese Forces asking for a significant share that reflects the gains it made in the latest parliamentary elections. And after the weekly meeting of the Strong Lebanon bloc on Tuesday, Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil emphasized that the president should have a share in the government in order to put the “strong president” idea into action.